Happy Earth Day!!!
Honor the Earth and YOUR BODY! Â Have a green smoothie EVERYDAY!
Eating from the Earth is the BEST WAY to eat!
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#DrinkGreen4Life……. your body deserves it!
Happy Earth Day!!!
Honor the Earth and YOUR BODY! Â Have a green smoothie EVERYDAY!
Eating from the Earth is the BEST WAY to eat!
 Â
#DrinkGreen4Life……. your body deserves it!
You completed DrinkGreen’s Spring Clean Challenge!
We sincerely apologize. Due to technical difficulties beyond our control, we were unable to post “Day 7” of the challenge. However we are confident that Days 1-6 prepared you for Day 7 and that you were able to maintain your diet and exercise plan.
Congratulate yourself! The “challenge” may be over but your Lifestyle Change Journey is just beginning! KEEP IT UP!! Keep up with your daily meal plan routine! Keep up with your daily exercise plan! Keep fueling your body with green smoothies, fruits & vegetables DAILY! Keep up your healthy lifestyle!
Recap of the past 7 days
Remember:
Take CARE of YOURSELF!
Below are 2 links with information to help you maintain your healthy eating habits:
Healthy Eating: Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It
We at DrinkGreen4Life sincerely enjoyed sharing this challenge with everyone. We hope everyone continues on their journey and share your stories with us. There is one particular DrinkGreenChallenger we would like to send a big thanks and congratulations to… Nyree (@lovinmy2plus1). We are so proud of you and really enjoyed your positive spirit during the past 7 days. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Thank you to all those who participated in DrinkGreen’s Spring Clean Challenge! This is only the beginning!
The Ladies of DrinkGreen,
~Ife & Renee~
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DrinkGreen Spring Clean
Day 5
We are over the hump and now we are closer to the end of DrinkGreen’s Spring Clean Challenge!!  Keep pushing, 2 more days to go! You have opened up a new chapter in your journey and may have noticed several changes in your body as well. After these 7 days are over you should be somewhat adjusted to your new lifestyle! A new lifestyle full of daily exercise and healthy, better food choices!
 Lets get started with Day 5
Below you find:
Daily Tip
Daily DrinkGreen Smoothie
Dinner Suggestion
Exercise Suggestion
Reminder
How to incorporate exercise into your daily routine….
Exercising actually helps to normalize and even out any fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar levels are steady you won’t feel that starving feeling as often. Exercise also activates your muscles, which means you begin to burn fat rather than carbohydrates. This reduction in the burning of carbohydrates maintains your blood sugar levels in a more balanced manner, too. We can all agree that burning present fat on your body instead of extraneous carbohydrates in your system would be a definite benefit of exercise.
When you raise your metabolic rate from exercise, the cells in your body will burn oxygen more efficiently. This will then help you to use the nutrients from your diet more effectively. It also helps your body to eliminate waste products and this means that you will be getting better nourishment from the foods that you eat. When you get better nourishment you won’t require the same quantities of food to feel fulfilled.
Here are 10 easy ways add exercise to you day: Â
1. Exercise first thing in the morning. Get up 20-30 minutes earlier and get your workout in first thing during the day.
2. Start taking the furthest away parking spot and get in a few extra steps between your car and the shopping center.
3. Take a “walk break” whenever you can find the time during the day. Taking short 10 minute walks a few times a day will do wonders for your metabolism!
4. Play with your kids! This is great attention for the kids and great activity for everyone.
5. Choose the stairs over the elevator.
6. Choose a restroom that is the furthest away if you have an option.
7. Try to choose an active activity right after work. A walk or even gardening or housework is better than just sitting on the couch.
8. Walk, jog, or stretch when you are waiting for dinner to cook, the laundry to finish up, or for your child to be finished with an activity.
9. It is perfectly acceptable to break up your intense workouts. You want to have at least 30 minutes of cardio every day — but if you split that 30 minutes into three, ten minute sessions you will find this more manageable.
10. Turn your housework into exercise. When vacuuming try to use your arm, back and abdominal muscles to push the vacuum. When loading the dishwasher, maintain good posture as you are bending and straightening and keep your abs tight. Scrubbing floors, cleaning the bathtub, gardening, and mowing the lawn are great ways to burn some extra calories.
Source:Â http://www.naturalnews.com/024202_exercise_body_blood.html#ixzz2QG7P5ibh
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Blueberry Banana Green Smoothie, makes 2 servings, 158.4 calories per serving, calorie credit to MyFitnessPal.com
Vitamin A 173.1%, Vitamin C 89.0%, Calcium 13.7%, Iron 15.2%, Total Fat 3.1g, Sodium 34.4mg, Potassium 322.6mg, Total Carbs 35.2g, Dietary Fiber 7.9g, Sugars 20.3g, Protein 4.2g
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SALAD!!! Cant go wrong with a good ole fashion salad for dinner!Â
You can eliminate the calories of salad dressing by adding lemon juice and olive oil to your salad or even squeezing fresh juice from an orange onto your salad. If you have to have salad dressing use VERY little! Remember NO cheese!
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We hope that by now most you have your BlackGirlsWorkOutToo DVD, however if you do not here are more basic exercises you can add to your daily routine. Remember WATER! WATER! WATER! then….MORE WATER!
Take a walk around the neighborhood
Take the stairs, Move it!! FAST!
basic crunches sets of 10 repeat 5 times
basic squats sets of 8 repeat 4 timesÂ
Jumping Jacks 4 sets of 25
REPEAT!
You can also do several sets of the exercises shown in the picture from the BlackGirlsWorkOutToo DVD above.
    NO BREAD! 2 MORE DAYS TO GO! YOU CAN DO IT!
Please click on the link below. This link will take you to some very good information on bread and your health.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-bread-and-diet
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Be encouraged that you are not alone but an IMPORTANT part of OUR Common Unity (Community). We are not encouraging diets or focusing on losing weight….. We are DETERMINED to CHANGE our lives. This is very important to sustaining a healthier life and the time is now. You have been using this past 7 days to begin telling yourself something different! To start making different and better food choices….slowly… as we all know changing your life is a process. This is a NO GUILT PROCESS… take your time…BUT DO IT. Know that you are IN the ongoing process and BE PROUD that you have reached THIS point. Your lifestyle change journey does NOT end with this challenge! You are changing your life… One day at a time! EVERYDAY!
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The Ladies of DrinkGreen4Life,
~Ife & Renee~
Connect with Us!
on
DrinkGreen Spring Clean
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Welcome to Day 4
*HUMP DAY*
Green Smoothies and the DAILY consumption of  fruits and vegetables have now become a part of your new Lifestyle! Green smoothies not only provides a health boost of energy, vitamins and nutrition to your body… It actually tastes good!   So far so good as we are over the hump and moving along in our Challenge.  You really should pat yourself on the back for a JOB WELL DONE!!  The next three days will be a breeze and you can honestly say you survived!!   Not only did you make it you should see that you have a little more energy, less mood swings, and your tolerance level for sugary foods should be slowly vanishing away. Keep up the good work and enjoy your green smoothie DrinkGreen is proud to walk this Lifestyle Change journey with you!!
Below you will find:
Day Tip
Green Smoothie RecipeÂ
Dinner SuggestionÂ
Exercise tip
remindersÂ
Why are Green Smoothies good for you?Â
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By drinking fresh green smoothies, you break down the cellular walls of the fruit and vegetables, in the blender, which lessens the load on the body’s digestion. Green Smoothies are a healthy benefit that can be enjoyed by your entire family, even babies up to six months old.Â
The health benefits that you are impacted with in a green smoothie are amazing.  The power pack burst of vitamins and nutrients provides the body with more energy and fuel  to carry out an action packed day. Each ingredient in a green smoothie plays a major role in your health and your new Lifestyle Change. Â
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Here are 10 Reasons to DrinkGreen:
To view more reasons why a green smoothie is good for you click the link below. http://drinkgreen4life.com/10-reasons-to-drinkgreen-smoothies/
Green Banana Green Smoothie, 164.3 calories per serving, calorie credit to MyFitnessPal.com
This recipe should provide you with more than 2 8oz servings.
*remember the more honey/agave/nuts etc. you add will add to the calories of your green smoothie.
Also the amount of liquid (water or green tea) you use will determine the thickness of your smoothie*
Vitamin A 44.2%, Vitamin C 72.5%, Calcium 7.2%, Iron 7.9%, Total Fat 2.9g, Sodium 20.9mg, Potassium 508.6mg, Total Carbs 38.5g, Dietary Fiber 7.7g, Sugars 15.4g, Protein 3.3g
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Veggie Burger (no bun), broccoli oven roasted with olive oil, ginger & garlic, brown rice
WATER! WATER! WATER!
We don’t add measurements to the meal recipes because we believe meals are made with love according to family size, to taste and dietary needs. We STILL look forward to hearing what wonderful recipes you used during this challenge…Don’t forget to take pictures for us.
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Take your time!!  Don’t rush!!  You DO NOT want to over do your work out!  It is ok to start slow and then build up a pace to your specific comfortable level .  You know your body and what you can handle, get to that point…then push a little further. It is ok to take it slow just know you are building up your endurance every time you work out. Exercising is a major DAILY task, do not give up!  The more you work out the more calories you are burning!  The more calories you burn brings you one step closer to a HEALTHIER renewed you!
basic crunches: sets of 10 repeat 5 times basic squats: sets of 8 repeat 4 times   back leg lifts: sets of 8 repeat 4 times jumping jacks: sets of 8 repeat 4 times   Repeat!
Always remember to keep your water handy!! Â Water is one of the key components to your new healthier Lifestyle! Â
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You should break your fast (breakfast) with water. Water should be the FIRST thing you consume after waking up. No eating after 9 pm and continue to eat your heaviest meal during the day and not before bed and water, water, water Here is a link detailing why it is suggested that you should not eat before going to bed.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/87749-eating-before-bed-gaining/
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Be encouraged that you are not alone but an IMPORTANT part of OUR Common Unity (Community). We are not encouraging diets or focusing on losing weight….. We are DETERMINED to CHANGE our lives. This is very important to sustaining a healthier life and the time is now. Use this 7 days to begin telling yourself something different! To start making different and better food choices….slowly… as we all know changing your life is a process. This is a NO GUILT PROCESS… take your time…BUT DO IT. Know that you are IN the ongoing process and BE PROUD that you have reached THIS point. One day at a time!
*Remember to use the hashtag #DGSpringClean with all your challenge posts!*
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The Ladies of DrinkGreen4Life
~Ife & Renee~
#DGSpringClean
please “like” us on http://facebook.com/DrinkGreen4Life
and
follow us on http://twitter.com/DrinkGreen4Life
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DrinkGreen SpringClean
Welcome to DAY 3
Day 3 Challengers! Â By now you should really be patting yourself on the back! You should all be feeling a lighter in some areas already! We know we do! You should be getting very acquainted with leafy greens during this week. Â Whether in your green smoothies or a nice green salad! Â There are so many ways to be creative and experiment. Kale, romaine lettuce, arugula, spinach and other leafy green vegetables are both rich in fiber, low in calories and taste great in Green Smoothies! Remember you are NOT on a diet you are changing your lifestyle…. Remind yourself of this as much as possible!
Lets get started on DAY 3!
Below you will find:
Day 3 Tip
Green Smoothie RecipeÂ
Dinner Suggestion
Exercise tip
Reminders
encouragementÂ
SALADS!!!Â
Salad helps: Feel free to load your salad up with as many veggies as possible add flavor to your salad by adding some of your favorites fruits. Salads can be VERY filling and enjoyable, be creative! Most salads full or color will help keep your meal exciting even without the meat.
4 Healthy Reasons to Eat a Salad Today & Everyday
Making one simple change to your diet – adding a salad almost every day – can pay off with plenty of health benefits.
1. Eat Salads for the Fiber
It’s hard to believe that something we can’t even digest can be so good for us! Eating a high-fiber diet can help lower cholesterol levels and prevent constipation.
Not only that, says Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan, eating more fiber can help you feel fuller, eat less, and ultimately lose weight.
2. Eat Salads for the Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables
Many experts agree that Americans need to eat more fruits and vegetables (especially dark green and orange vegetables) and legumes — all popular salad ingredients. David Jacobs, PhD, professor of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, says in an email interview that there is plenty of evidence that nutrient-rich plant foods contribute to overall health.
If you frequently eat green salads, you’ll likely have higher blood levels of a host of powerful antioxidants (vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene,) especially if your salad includes some raw vegetables. Antioxidants are substances that help protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.
For years, researchers have noted a link between eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lower risks of many diseases, particularly cancer. A recent study from the National Cancer Institute suggests that people whose diets are rich in fruits and vegetables may have a lower risk of developing cancers of the head and neck — even those who smoke and drink heavily. Foods found to be particularly protective include beans and peas, string beans, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, apples, nectarines, peaches, plums, pears, and strawberries.
3. Eat Salads to Cut Calories and Increase Satisfaction
If losing weight is your goal, you may want to start your meals with a green salad. Studies have shown that eating a low-calorie first course, like a green salad of 150 calories or less, enhances satiety (feelings of fullness) and reduces the total number of calories eaten during the meal.
Rolls, lead researcher of the study, suggests that “bigger is better” as long as the salad is bigger in volume, not in calories – which means more veggies and less dressing and other fatty add-ons.
“We saw reductions in consumed calories when people ate salads that were 1 1/2 cups and 3 cups in volume but around 100 total calories,” she says. The 3-cup, 100-calorie salad reduced the total calories consumed at the meal by about 55.
4. Eat Salads to Get Smart Fats
Eating a little good fat (like the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, avocado and nuts) with your vegetables appears to help your body absorb protective phytochemicals, like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables.
A recent study from Ohio State University measured how well phytochemicals were absorbed by the body after people ate a salad of lettuce, carrot, and spinach, with or without 2 1/2 tablespoons of avocado. The avocado-eaters absorbed eight times more alpha-carotene and more than 13 times more beta-carotene (both of which are thought to help protect against cancer and heart disease) than the group eating salads without avocado.
If you dress your salad with a little olive oil, there may even be some additional years in it for you. Italian research on people aged 60 and older has suggested that a diet that includes plenty of olive oil and raw vegetables is linked to reduced mortality.
Source: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/4-healthy-reasons-eat-salad-today
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Peach/Mango Green Smoothie, 137.1 calories per serving, *calorie credit to MyFitnessPal
*makes 2 or more 8oz servings*
Vitamin A 59.5%, Vitamin C 21.5%, Calcium 3.6%, Iron 5.3%, Total Fat 3.2g, Sodium, 26.3mg, Potassium 514.4mg, Total Carbs 25.8g, Deitary Fiber 4.8g, Sugars 21.6g, Protein 3.4g
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Stir fry vegetables sauteed in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic with veggie burger over brown rice
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Take the time to plan your workout for the day even it is only for a minimum of 20 minutes.  If you have your blackgirlsworkouttoo dvd  get ready to  burn those calories off!  For our challengers that do not have the dvd here is a few  basic and general exercise tips that may help. Remember…You must exercise and maintain a healthy eating routine in order to see progress.  Make sure you have some water handy as you want to keep your body hydrated as much as possible. Â
side Leg lifts   sets of 8 repeat 2 times
Jogging In Place  1-2 minutes rest 20 seconds then repeat
Squats sets of 10 repeat 4 times
Basic Crunches  sets of 10 repeat 5 times
Jumping Jacks sets of  8 repeat 2 times
REPEAT!!
Make sure your green smoothies have more vegetables to fruit ratio. Eat 5 small meals dont let your body go into starvation mode. Dont focus on losing weight.. FOCUS ON YOUR HEALTH, the weight loss will be an added bonus to a healthier you! MOST importantly WATER, WATER, WATER! Drink all the water you can!
Be encouraged that you are not alone but an IMPORTANT part of OUR Common Unity (Community). We are not encouraging diets or focusing on losing weight….. We are DETERMINED to CHANGE our lives. This is very important to sustaining a healthier life and the time is now. Use this 7 days to begin telling yourself something different! To start making different and better food choices….slowly… as we all know changing your life is a process. This is a NO GUILT PROCESS… take your time…BUT DO IT. Know that you are STILL IN the ongoing process and BE PROUD that you have reached THIS point. One day at a time.
*Remember to use the hashtag #DGSpringClean with all your challenge posts!*
The Ladies of DrinkGreen4Life
~Ife & Renee~
#DGSpringClean
please visit us on http://facebook.com/DrinkGreen4Life
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Spring into DrinkGreen4Life’s 7 Day Detox Challenge for Beginner’s!
April 8 – 15, 2013
Join us! Exercise, DrinkGreen, & Detox! inspired by @vitaminellen @lanagem and #blackgirlsworkouttoo!
For more details click the link below:
Spring into DrinkGreen4Life’s 7 Day Detox Challenge for Beginners!
DrinkGreen4Life is excited to announce our first Green Smoothie Challenge!
Please Click on the link below for more information and to commit to this challenge!
Spring into DrinkGreen4Life’s 7 Day Detox Challenge for Beginners!